I love the new "Government can do no wrong" attitude that many display. It's not like Uncle Sam ever trampled on the rights of slaves, black, minorities, gays, protesters, or anyone else that "had it coming". These are the same people who like to pretend America doesn't have the highest incarceration rate on Earth.

Too Pretty For Prison:AverageAmericanGuy: The guy seems like an asshole. I'm not saying we should lock up assholes (god knows I'd be the first on the block to be taken away), but people should try not to be assholes, especially around cops.

And chewing tobacco is a farking nasty habit. I've never met someone who used chewing tobacco that didn't need a beatdown.

The guy is absolutely an asshole. BUT - he was just out walking in his neighborhood. That's not illegal or a reason to have his 4th Amendment Rights shiat on. The dipshiat cop was abusing his power (gee, go figure). A slap on the wrist to "write a paper" is complete horseshiat. About 3 weeks ago, I was in my front yard with my dog. A cop drove by, rolled down his window, chatted with me why I was out at 3:00 a.m. He explained there was a car break-in a few nights earlier (we don't have much crime), told me to have a good night and drove on. That's reasonable. If he had told me to empty my pockets I would be in an article on Fark too for being an asshole, just like this guy.

Why is the guy an asshole? Is it because of the chewing tobacco? Or is it because he had the gall to loudly complain when police ran roughshod over his rights?

I think he was brave for taking a stand and not meekly submitting, as the vast majority of people in his situation would do. I see nothing in the article that warrants criticism of him.

The cops have to have "reasonable suspicion" of criminal activity to initiate a Terry Stop. The problem is, literally walking down the street can give a cop "reasonable suspicion" when you take into account the time, the area and if there's been criminal activity in the area. The fact is, the cops know exactly what to say to invoke "reasonable suspicion". The 4th has been dismantled.

See Illinois v Wardlow. "An individual's presence in an area of expected criminal activity, standing alone, is not enough to support a reasonable, particularized suspicion that the person is committing a crime."

BarkingUnicorn:.2. Neither cop read the guy his Miranda rights after the arrest.

Only applies to interrogations. If they weren't going to question him (and in this case, question him for what? They caught him red handed at what they arrested him for), then there is no need to read him his rights.

The Larch:Dirtybird971: According to the law, a law enforcement officer can stop and search someone who committed, is committing or is about to commit a crime.

So the cops are psychic now?

Reporters are lawyers now? That's not the criteria for a Terry Stop. The reporter just stuck that in their because he had a half hour to write a 500 word article, and he half remembered that maybe somebody told him something like that once. The editor left it in there because he's stuck in a dead-end job working as an editor for a dying newspaper in a shiathole town, and the bottle of vodka he keeps in his bottom drawer makes it easy not to think too hard about any of it.

The cops have to have "reasonable suspicion" of criminal activity to initiate a Terry Stop. The problem is, literally walking down the street can give a cop "reasonable suspicion" when you take into account the time, the area and if there's been criminal activity in the area. The fact is, the cops know exactly what to say to invoke "reasonable suspicion". The 4th has been dismantled.

Too Pretty For Prison:AverageAmericanGuy: The guy seems like an asshole. I'm not saying we should lock up assholes (god knows I'd be the first on the block to be taken away), but people should try not to be assholes, especially around cops.

And chewing tobacco is a farking nasty habit. I've never met someone who used chewing tobacco that didn't need a beatdown.

The guy is absolutely an asshole. BUT - he was just out walking in his neighborhood. That's not illegal or a reason to have his 4th Amendment Rights shiat on. The dipshiat cop was abusing his power (gee, go figure). A slap on the wrist to "write a paper" is complete horseshiat. About 3 weeks ago, I was in my front yard with my dog. A cop drove by, rolled down his window, chatted with me why I was out at 3:00 a.m. He explained there was a car break-in a few nights earlier (we don't have much crime), told me to have a good night and drove on. That's reasonable. If he had told me to empty my pockets I would be in an article on Fark too for being an asshole, just like this guy.

THIS x 100. All of this was escalated because Mr. Citizen questioned the Po-po. 100% abuse of power.

AverageAmericanGuy:The guy seems like an asshole. I'm not saying we should lock up assholes (god knows I'd be the first on the block to be taken away), but people should try not to be assholes, especially around cops.

And chewing tobacco is a farking nasty habit. I've never met someone who used chewing tobacco that didn't need a beatdown.

The guy is absolutely an asshole. BUT - he was just out walking in his neighborhood. That's not illegal or a reason to have his 4th Amendment Rights shiat on. The dipshiat cop was abusing his power (gee, go figure). A slap on the wrist to "write a paper" is complete horseshiat. About 3 weeks ago, I was in my front yard with my dog. A cop drove by, rolled down his window, chatted with me why I was out at 3:00 a.m. He explained there was a car break-in a few nights earlier (we don't have much crime), told me to have a good night and drove on. That's reasonable. If he had told me to empty my pockets I would be in an article on Fark too for being an asshole, just like this guy.

"Anderson wrote in a report that he saw a bulge in Stoiber's shorts that he thought "was large enough to conceal a weapon, including a handgun." It turned out to be his wallet, a can of Grizzly snuff and keys."

The officers should have just shot him the moment they saw something that possibly, maybe, could be a firearm. You know, to ensure the safety of the officers.

abhorrent1:If you have nothing to hide -let them pat you down and be on your way.

If only more citizens were like you and knew their place. Most police were obnoxious fat kids who were picked on. They finally have power now and want to exercise it. If only everyone would realize it the way you do and comply.